TVR TUSCAN - ENGINE SWAP - HONDA S2000 (F20C2)
Discussion
TVR TUSCAN S2K – HONDA S2000 F20 C2 ENGINE & GEARBOX SWAP
The story is as follows, I have bought the only TVR Tuscan in Greece (in fact one of the two TVRs in Greece).
Problem is that when I bought the car it was in need of an engine rebuild. I thought that I could get away with a piston and headwork but really the engine needs a full rebuild.
Transportation of the motor to one of the TVR specialists + Costs + Customs would bring the price of the rebuild to extreme high numbers.
So I had a spare S2000 engine (best 4 cylinder engine) and S2000 gearbox (best gearbox the world has seen) and my mechanic encourage me to try it on…
Looks like it will fit in there relatively smoothly so this will be a build thread.
To all purists – I do apologise however please consider:
1. About not having a TVR specialist in the same country to tune the engine
2. Costs of rebuilding the straight six
3. I already owned the S2000 mechanics
4. The fact that no modifications will be made to the chassis and the swap will be fully reversible to fit the straight six engine when it will become 30 years old ie of historic importance.
Finally ofcourse opening this long hood you expect to find at least 6 cylinders, so in order to compensate for the lack of 2 cylinders and to fill up the space we will be fitting a big Turbo kit.
Wish me luck, should be fun.
The story is as follows, I have bought the only TVR Tuscan in Greece (in fact one of the two TVRs in Greece).
Problem is that when I bought the car it was in need of an engine rebuild. I thought that I could get away with a piston and headwork but really the engine needs a full rebuild.
Transportation of the motor to one of the TVR specialists + Costs + Customs would bring the price of the rebuild to extreme high numbers.
So I had a spare S2000 engine (best 4 cylinder engine) and S2000 gearbox (best gearbox the world has seen) and my mechanic encourage me to try it on…
Looks like it will fit in there relatively smoothly so this will be a build thread.
To all purists – I do apologise however please consider:
1. About not having a TVR specialist in the same country to tune the engine
2. Costs of rebuilding the straight six
3. I already owned the S2000 mechanics
4. The fact that no modifications will be made to the chassis and the swap will be fully reversible to fit the straight six engine when it will become 30 years old ie of historic importance.
Finally ofcourse opening this long hood you expect to find at least 6 cylinders, so in order to compensate for the lack of 2 cylinders and to fill up the space we will be fitting a big Turbo kit.
Wish me luck, should be fun.
Edited by alexaras on Wednesday 29th November 14:44
You're going to need a lot of luck. The 2.0 S2000 is way down on power and torque compared with a Speed 6, and then you need to fit it to the car, and the wiring loom, and fit a gearbox.
It's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven. The power band is so tiny and all at the top end. The only car I have ever had to change from 6th to 2nd just to find some power to overtake.
As for turbocharging - have you looked at the S2000 forums? They seem to all be old now, and even 3 years ago, no one seemed to be making an installation to fit the S2000 any longer, so you are going to struggle, and most of the kits that were sold just caused the engines to blow up and were expensive.
You are going totally down the wrong route, wasting your money and devaluing your car. You should sell your S2000 engine to an S2000 owner, and buy a Speed Six engine and get it sorted in the UK by one of the recommended suppliers here.
It's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven. The power band is so tiny and all at the top end. The only car I have ever had to change from 6th to 2nd just to find some power to overtake.
As for turbocharging - have you looked at the S2000 forums? They seem to all be old now, and even 3 years ago, no one seemed to be making an installation to fit the S2000 any longer, so you are going to struggle, and most of the kits that were sold just caused the engines to blow up and were expensive.
You are going totally down the wrong route, wasting your money and devaluing your car. You should sell your S2000 engine to an S2000 owner, and buy a Speed Six engine and get it sorted in the UK by one of the recommended suppliers here.
I have a lot of respect for that engine. In 25 years of owning my modified S2, only 3 or 4 non-TVR cars have out-accelerated me when I was really trying. One of those was a Honda S2000 - went past me doing 120+ on a quiet motorway. I didn't know what it was at the time, so when I got home I looked it up in "Top Gear" magazine, and found it had a variable valve timing engine, red-lined at 9000 !
Of course, it won't sound as good. But if you take care to get the transmission and rear differential matched and set up properly, it should have plenty of speed even before you consider adding the turbo.
S2000 kerb weight was 1250 kgs, Tuscan was 1100, so it should give even better performance than in its original body.
Of course, it won't sound as good. But if you take care to get the transmission and rear differential matched and set up properly, it should have plenty of speed even before you consider adding the turbo.
S2000 kerb weight was 1250 kgs, Tuscan was 1100, so it should give even better performance than in its original body.
LucyP said:
It's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven.
Seriously?! A good friend had an S2000 for a while, and during one passenger ride in it he gave the full beans from 20mph - err, rather quickly. It was an aural sensation, hardly what I would call nasty. OP. Following with interest.
LucyP said:
You're going to need a lot of luck. The 2.0 S2000 is way down on power and torque compared with a Speed 6, and then you need to fit it to the car, and the wiring loom, and fit a gearbox.
It's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven. The power band is so tiny and all at the top end. The only car I have ever had to change from 6th to 2nd just to find some power to overtake.
As for turbocharging - have you looked at the S2000 forums? They seem to all be old now, and even 3 years ago, no one seemed to be making an installation to fit the S2000 any longer, so you are going to struggle, and most of the kits that were sold just caused the engines to blow up and were expensive.
You are going totally down the wrong route, wasting your money and devaluing your car. You should sell your S2000 engine to an S2000 owner, and buy a Speed Six engine and get it sorted in the UK by one of the recommended suppliers here.
You haven’t got a clue, best engine Honda have ever madeIt's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven. The power band is so tiny and all at the top end. The only car I have ever had to change from 6th to 2nd just to find some power to overtake.
As for turbocharging - have you looked at the S2000 forums? They seem to all be old now, and even 3 years ago, no one seemed to be making an installation to fit the S2000 any longer, so you are going to struggle, and most of the kits that were sold just caused the engines to blow up and were expensive.
You are going totally down the wrong route, wasting your money and devaluing your car. You should sell your S2000 engine to an S2000 owner, and buy a Speed Six engine and get it sorted in the UK by one of the recommended suppliers here.
LucyP said:
You're going to need a lot of luck. The 2.0 S2000 is way down on power and torque compared with a Speed 6, and then you need to fit it to the car, and the wiring loom, and fit a gearbox.
It's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven. The power band is so tiny and all at the top end. The only car I have ever had to change from 6th to 2nd just to find some power to overtake.
As for turbocharging - have you looked at the S2000 forums? They seem to all be old now, and even 3 years ago, no one seemed to be making an installation to fit the S2000 any longer, so you are going to struggle, and most of the kits that were sold just caused the engines to blow up and were expensive.
You are going totally down the wrong route, wasting your money and devaluing your car. You should sell your S2000 engine to an S2000 owner, and buy a Speed Six engine and get it sorted in the UK by one of the recommended suppliers here.
Unbelievable post!It's also the nastiest engine I have ever driven. The power band is so tiny and all at the top end. The only car I have ever had to change from 6th to 2nd just to find some power to overtake.
As for turbocharging - have you looked at the S2000 forums? They seem to all be old now, and even 3 years ago, no one seemed to be making an installation to fit the S2000 any longer, so you are going to struggle, and most of the kits that were sold just caused the engines to blow up and were expensive.
You are going totally down the wrong route, wasting your money and devaluing your car. You should sell your S2000 engine to an S2000 owner, and buy a Speed Six engine and get it sorted in the UK by one of the recommended suppliers here.
op not sure if you're new on this forum but it's best to learn to ignore certain people. Please keep the real enthusiasts on here updated on what should be really interesting project.
Edited by s6boy on Friday 22 July 08:34
Hey guys,
I appreciate everyone's input.
I have a pretty good experience with the F20C.
I have an S2000 HKS supercharged for the road (360 bhp)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f65bYMYdVzU
I also have a Westfield Aero Race F20C Science of Speed (SOS) supercharged for the track (400 bhp)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrxyM-hRvk
Safe to say that after using these cars the way they should be used, its a bullet proof motor.
Now since I am after more power on the TVR - I decided to go a bit nuts and go Big Turbo on it.
Expect 500bhp - noise - flames from the exhausts...
Hopefully with the lighter engine sitting further back we ll save some more weight and aid the weight distribution.
6 speed gearbox is a gem.
I will upload some photos asap.
PS: Here is an older video of my mechanic's similar setup (stock internals) to what I am looking to do on the TVR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPYll_0XawU
I appreciate everyone's input.
I have a pretty good experience with the F20C.
I have an S2000 HKS supercharged for the road (360 bhp)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f65bYMYdVzU
I also have a Westfield Aero Race F20C Science of Speed (SOS) supercharged for the track (400 bhp)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrxyM-hRvk
Safe to say that after using these cars the way they should be used, its a bullet proof motor.
Now since I am after more power on the TVR - I decided to go a bit nuts and go Big Turbo on it.
Expect 500bhp - noise - flames from the exhausts...
Hopefully with the lighter engine sitting further back we ll save some more weight and aid the weight distribution.
6 speed gearbox is a gem.
I will upload some photos asap.
PS: Here is an older video of my mechanic's similar setup (stock internals) to what I am looking to do on the TVR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPYll_0XawU
Edited by alexaras on Friday 22 July 11:13
Edited by alexaras on Friday 22 July 11:20
I'd find a BMW 3.0 M54 straight six.
With 3litres vs 2 litres it'll be far nice to drive and sound the part. Easily available,simple powerful engine. A decat and decent intake will see you close to 300bhp even in non "M" format, which would only be available from a 2.0litre engine with forced induction in practice.
Find an E46 330i or if you can find an E36 M3 engine (but these are now rare and sort after)
Frankly, even the older 2.8 (M52) straight six would be far preferable to some nasty 4 cyl engine.......
With 3litres vs 2 litres it'll be far nice to drive and sound the part. Easily available,simple powerful engine. A decat and decent intake will see you close to 300bhp even in non "M" format, which would only be available from a 2.0litre engine with forced induction in practice.
Find an E46 330i or if you can find an E36 M3 engine (but these are now rare and sort after)
Frankly, even the older 2.8 (M52) straight six would be far preferable to some nasty 4 cyl engine.......
I think maybe some people are missing the point which is the car will be light and very fast with what amounts to a race engine fitted with a fantastically short shift silky box that encourages a race driver type strategy to get the best from it. Sounds like a good idea to me.
If the chap wants to use this engine and has experience with said engine why do people try and advise doing something else.
I have experience with the “Bond DB5” replica car using the S2000 road train. It’s a bit heavy with the huge DB5 body plonked on top but handles well and goes like a scolded cat if revved. It’s an absolute hoot and about the only DB5 that goes like a race car, Bond would approve I reckon.
It’s a joy to drive if the truth be known. If any engine would add even more race car feel to a Tvr it might just be this one.
If the chap wants to use this engine and has experience with said engine why do people try and advise doing something else.
I have experience with the “Bond DB5” replica car using the S2000 road train. It’s a bit heavy with the huge DB5 body plonked on top but handles well and goes like a scolded cat if revved. It’s an absolute hoot and about the only DB5 that goes like a race car, Bond would approve I reckon.
It’s a joy to drive if the truth be known. If any engine would add even more race car feel to a Tvr it might just be this one.
LucyP said:
"Expect 500 bhp from a 90s 2.0 4 cylinder." Ha ha. Expect it to blow up before it gets to the end of the street then.
Those "idiots" at AMG can only manage 400 from a 2022 2.0 4, fitted to the C43, and that's with a turbo and a 48 volt electric motor as well.
The guys I watched racing Sierra Cosworth's at Snetterton last weekend were getting 580bhp from their 80's 2.0 4 pot Those "idiots" at AMG can only manage 400 from a 2022 2.0 4, fitted to the C43, and that's with a turbo and a 48 volt electric motor as well.
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